Bored? Here's how to play 70 Xbox One demo games for free.

If you've played everything, try a tiny skateboarding bird and a donut factory.
By Shannon Connellan  on 
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Bored? Here's how to play 70 Xbox One demo games for free.

If you're into free shit, super bored in lockdown, and have an Xbox One, you're in the right place.

Microsoft dropped free demos for around 70 games on Tuesday, all of which are available to download as part of its Summer Game Fest Demo Event.

Running from July 21 to 27, the event allows players to try demos of games for free for the week, and a heap of these are independently developed ID@Xbox titles, so you get to try a bunch of fun stuff from teams you may not have played before.

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So, how do you get the goods? On your Xbox One dashboard, you can grab them through the Summer Demo Event section. Alternatively, you can head to the Store on your console and within the Browse Games section, you'll find the demos. They're also sitting in the Microsoft Store.

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'Ephemeral Tale' is a classic dungeon adventure from Dawdling Dog. Credit: xbox / Dawdling Dog

There's a mix of multiplayer party games, RPG shooters, retro action-platformers, turn-based puzzles, and plenty more. A few that stuck out to me were the buzzed-about remake of Destroy All Humans!, cute donut factory puzzle game Freshly Frosted, and the dungeon adventure Ephemeral Tale. Also, SkateBIRD, in which you play exactly that, a bird with a tiny skateboard. If you've run out of games, or need something new to amuse your kids, here are the free demos available from Microsoft so far, with more to be added through the week:

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Cult classic 'Destroy All Humans!' has been remade. Credit: XBOX / ‪THQ Nordic‬
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'Genesis Noir' is a love triangle adventure from Fellow Traveller. Credit: xbox / Fellow Traveller
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'Freshly Frosted' is a puzzle game in a donut factory. Cute. Credit: xbox / ‪The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild
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In 'SkateBIRD' you play exactly that. LOOK AT IT. Credit: xbox / Glass Bottom Games
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'Swim Out' is a strategic poolside puzzle game from Lozange Lab and it's PRETTY. Credit: XBOX. / LOZANGE LAB

It's a relatively big week for Xbox, with Microsoft hosting an online event to announce games for the Xbox Series X on Thursday from 8 a.m. PT.

Until then, give these free games a whirl — if you don't like 'em, you didn't buy 'em.

Topics Gaming Xbox

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Shannon Connellan

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about everything (but not anything) across entertainment, tech, social good, science, and culture.


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